Can you tell I loved the post Meadow!!! Very cute. I think I had a similar e-mail long time ago. Nice workouts! 2 for 1 day?!?!? LOL
Have fun with the next one!!! LOL

Nae~ Went for a ride to feed the squirrels after reading about your "animals" and they weren't there. Left the nuts anyway cause there are so many of them around. A woman I know caught me red handed! LOL Gave me a LOT of sass and I said I will do it cause we keep taking THEIR LAND away from them and wreck their homes! She left! LOLOL

Weather is humid but great. Poor Florida. Seems the storm is getting stronger. Many are fleeing the areas again. There are curfews now too. god bless them all cause here "she" comes. Jeanne may be a LOT worse than the others.
Haven't cooked cause I forgot to defrost meat etc!!! Tomorrow is good enough. Hope Saturday is a good one! Take care.

spent to much time blethering with my sister and now i need to get the washing out the dryer and get the kids organised so i just popped in to let you all know im all right and ill give you a nice long post tomorow speak to you all later
kirsty

Morning all, on a cool overcast and drizzly Melbourne Sunday morning. I've already been out and about this morning, but was too early for any of the Melburnians who advertise that their markets start early, but that only means setting up the stalls. If they remembered to get up that is. I was going to amble off to St Kilda this morning but hey, it's cool. I took a couple of photos at the riverbank and the gardens instead.

Anyway I wandered back to the flat, and had breakfast and coffee and then DS1 rung so I had a chat with him. Seems he washed his ArmaniX jumper and the body colour ran into the sleeves. He said he washed in cold too. So I really don't know what to do to advise. Thought of trying Napisan Oxy but he would have to soak only the sleeves and not the body. That would be a bit difficult. Such is life.

Happy, so sorry to hear you are so unhappy a the moment. Wish there was something I could do to help. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do things which are unplanned to get the result required. Can't advise you right now, a I am pretty unhappy about my situation as well, but at least I knew there was an end and that end is not that far away. I can last that long, I think, however I shall do some long hard thinking if something else comes my way during the next 5 weeks.

Had dinner with an old NZ friend (actually he is Japan Chris' exhusband) and his new significant other yesterday. Very nice meal - yonks since I had a roast dinner. Too much wine but what the heck. I also went to the market yesterday and picked up a lot of fresh veges, fish and meat for the week. A good day overall and the weather was okay too. Pity Brisbane lost the footy!!!!

Meadow, loved the joke and the pictures too. You are a bit of a cheer germ on this site. The cheer is infectious, I like that.

Nae, I am still at the job, I don't go back to Brisbane for another 2 weeks. Then it is back here for the last 3 weeks. I'm using internet cafes for my fixes with friends.

Teel, glad to see you are out and about with old friends. Such fun to catch up. Shame about the table arrangement. In Brisbane, one can not smoke anywhere where food is prepared or served and that now includes outside dining as well. Here in Victoria they are not quite so strict although the population is beginning to stir various councils and governments about it. Queensland is bringing in laws about not smoking on beaches, parks, plazas and other public places and trying to ban smoking completely in pubs and clubs. Soon one will only be able to smoke at ones house or backyard.

I've missed Mel out. Hmmmm don't get excited. I'm thinking of you. You are not forgotten especially when I followed a delightful lady in a spiffy wheelchair down the street on Friday. Talk about a real gem. She continually exuded happiness that old girl. Wish I knew who she was, but maybe I will see her again.

GOOD MORNING CHICKIES!
I sound more wide awake than I really am. We had smoke and medical alarms all day yesterday and three leaks all in the same lobby hallway!! The last one ended at 10:30PM last night and the first one today was 6:45!AM!! I am so sleepy and discomboooobulated !

Never got to cook so I better do it today before anything else happens! Maybe a nice chicken stew. All in one pot!

Linus~ Hope to see you later Miss Chatty!! LOL

Shad~ Already answered you in the journals! LOL

Hope you all have a great new week!!

good day to you all me and mine are having a P.J day as we are all too tired do anything at all sat and watched harry potter and then i thought id come and chat to you all two of our neighbours had a party last night which wouldnt have bothered us but cleo took exception to all the carry on and barked and growled till 3.30 am this morning just got her settled and then the same said neighbours had an argument in the backgreen and woke me up again unfortunatly they left the back doors off the latch and also the front doors and cleo who has decieded that if the doors are banging shes got the right to be petrified so i woke up with nearly 5 stone of staffordshire bull terrier sitting on my head!!! so i had to get my slippers on and trot down and lock the doors at 5.45am so that she would settle down again which eventually she did at 6.30am so im knacked hte kids are lacklustre and dh has a hangover so we are all still in jammies and refusing to do much of anything weve got the central heating on and are just chilling TEEL the phonecall really cheered me up dh came home last night and decieded that i had a nice happy glow about me so i told him about the phone call and he says ive to get all the phone numbers and call you all as it made ,me so happy and ive got to admit i do feel happier you must have a magic wand teel feel free to wave it anytime you like and phone anytime but ill get you to hang up and phone you back as ive told you the calls dont cost me anything MEL you sound like you had the same type of evening that i had join the club put on your jammies and loaf SHAD your run in with the lady in the chair is like what happens to me i only have to see a jogger and think of you a lady bursting with life and think of mel some lovely pictures and think of meadow bikes and its happy and a camera and its teel, rose i just need to see a lovely sky or a beautiful tree and its you isnt it amazing how much time we must think about each other??? HAPPY you sound like you could do with a call from teel hope things work out soon we need our level head back ROSE how are things out at your place ? good i hope its always good to hear from you and watch as many movies as you want we all need to escape from time to time MEADOW how are your little angels ? keeping you busy i bet well ladies im afraid the dogs wont wait any more to be fed as teel will testify 4pm and its feeding time and they sit on you until they get it and im already 20 minutes late so ill go and be back later
kirsty

Linus and Teel already cheered me up. Not that I was mopey but more alarms again since I last posted!!! Are they trying to set the building on ????

I made a stew with chicken breasts, green and red peppers, lots of celery, a pound of baby carrots, 2 big onions, 2 cans of black beans, 1 large can of crushed tomatoes, 1/2 can water, 2 chicken bouillons, lot of oregano and parsley, some black pepper and YUM YUM!!! I have enough for the entire week and freezer too!
Maybe it tastes so good cause of cooler weather!

Teel~ I need your address at home or wherever you get mail sent. Have something I think you will like. Loved the post! Lots of exercise and positive thinking!!! Good for you!

Linus~ I would be honored to give you my telly # but it's free? Hope you aren't pulling our legs!!! ROFL Your family day is like mine. I really should have gone for a ride but too knacked myself!! So Auntie Fanny is also watching Harry Potter all weekend and cleaning drawers. The kind in a dresser not the ones you wear! Get some sleeping pills or ear plugs for the poochie so she cannot hear the doors and neighbors! LOL Jen's bird does that once in awhile too when the drunks go through our parking lot and try to climb a 6 foot fence to get to the next street!!! One day I will look out the window and see him hanging from his coat tails!

I better put all the stew into containers and get the hard-boiled eggs put away too! See you gals later! TTTT!

Well Alyssa didn't make it into the video machine, I just couldn't wrap my unwilling exercise self to move to something called "Teen Steam"... I'm going to give it to my kids, I'm sure they will connect on some level I did Richard Simmon's STTO 2 instead. OMG! I almost fainted, he just kept going, I faltered when the floor exercise started, I just didn't have it in me. When I looked on the box after I noticed it said 65 minutes, for pete's sake, I did like 50 minutes of straight out sweating. I thought my arms would ache today but they aren't bothered after all, there was a lot of over the head stuff and arms in this video. I may get the situps and floor stuff in some other time, I doubt that I will ever be able to do this entire video full on. My kids are home on a Pro D day which is when the teachers supposedly take a class of their own somewhere? *bet they are just having a lie in too

Welcome back Mel! We were wondering what happened, awful that you had so many alarms jolting you awake. Were they legit or mischief? Your chicken stew sounds yummy (audible Homer Simpson type mmmm sounds )

Teel-focusing on the scales is just a depression waiting to form, stop now! You are feeding yourself good food for good energy and a healthy heart. Get outside and breathe in all that crisp Autumn air, take the woof and enjoy the beauty of the world I'm glad you are connecting and talking with Linus, good to have an ear to bend who understands

Linus-next time the neighbours have a party, crash it! Why be annoyed and bothered? Get in there, they owe you a drink Sounds like you have an excellent watchdog there, you will never be surprised by visitors Cool that you and Teel are swapping stories and cheering each other up.

Shad-sounds like city life is making you quite the explorer. Is it because the apartment is just too boring and you feel like a tourist? The market guys are going to be trying to hire you if you keep showing up before they set up, that kind of enthusiasm is a hot commodity is the selling world. Big hugs, you will be home again soon and can relax into your graceful routines again.

Rose-what videos have you been getting? Any Antonio Banderas? To do lists, hmm, is that like setting goals? I have no understanding of any of it

Happy-Darling you need a spa day. Take two hours and just pamper the daylights out of yourself. Lounge in a warm tub full of bubbles, push back the cuticles, wrap yourself in a cozy robe, massage lovely scented lotions into your beautiful feet, stroke and caress yourself as you glide your favorite cream all over your body. Make a nice cup of tea, get a magazine and recline in a comfortable chair. You are worth taking care of and the job stuff can just be focused on when you feel like it later, take some time to just be!

It isn't easy but what worthwhile ever was?

********
Calories can be burned by the hundreds by engaging in strenuous
activities that do not require physical exercise.

Exercise..............................Calories burned per hour

Beating around the bush.....................................75

Jumping to conclusions......................................1 00

Climbing the walls............................................1 50

Swallowing your pride.........................................50

Passing the buck.............................................. ..25

Throwing your weight around
(depending on your weight)...........................50-300

Dragging your heels..........................................100

Pushing your luck.............................................2 50

Making mountains out of molehills......................500

Hitting the nail on the head................................50

Wading through paperwork................................300

Bending over backwards.....................................75

Jumping on the bandwagon...............................200

Balancing the books..........................................25

Running around in circles..................................350

Eating crow.............................................. ......225

Tooting your own horn.......................................25

Climbing the ladder of success..........................750

Pulling out the stops.........................................75

Adding fuel to the fire......................................160

Wrapping it up at the day's end..........................12

To which you may want to add your own favorite activities, including:

Opening a can of worms ...................................50

Putting your foot in your mouth........................300

Starting the ball rolling.....................................90

Going over the edge.........................................25

Picking up the pieces......................................350

Let's all get out there and burn some calories!

********

********
Rules regarding the Bathroom Scale...how to lie to the scale and get away with it..


Weigh yourself with clothes on, after dinner... as well as in the morning, without clothes, before breakfast, because it's nice to see how much weight you've lost overnight.
Never weigh yourself with wet hair.
When weighing, remove everything, including glasses. In this case, blurred vision is an asset. Don't forget the earrings, these things can weigh at least a pound.
Use cheap scales only, never the medical kind, because they are always five pounds off...to your advantage.
Always go to the bathroom first.
Stand with arms raised, making pressure on the scale lighter.
Don't eat or drink in the morning until AFTER you've weighed in, completely naked, of course.
Weigh yourself after a haircut, this is good for at least half a pound of hair (hopefully).
Exhale with all your might BEFORE stepping onto the scale (air has to weigh something, right?).
Start out with just one foot on the scale, then holding onto the towel rack in front of you, slowly edge your other foot on and slowly let off of the rack. Admittedly, this takes time, but it's worth it. You will weigh at least two pounds less than if you'd stepped on normally.
REMEMBER - The scales never lie....

sorry laidies its raining cold and very damp needless to say i feel crap so ill be back tomorrow when i feel a bit better
kirsty

Evening all,
Thanks everyone for all their good wishes. I can feel all the love and positive energy - right back at 'yah! I am setting goals and making slow and steady progress which is exactly what I need right now. Looks like I might be offered a job at the new company which will constitute a move I will find out more probably on Wednesday. Will have to see what they offer before I can decide. Till then I am keeping myself busy.

Meadow, thank you so much for the post and the jokes. I had a very good belly laugh today - always a welcome stress reliever and I never say no to a good laugh. Thank you for the spa suggestion - it sounds divine. Actually we are slowly heading to the cool weather and tomorrow it will only be a high in the low 60's which would make for a wonderful time for a nice soak and cup of tea. Cool weather means soup cooking time - I have a nice beef vegetable soup all ready to get simmering for tomorrow's dinner and a loaf of nice freshly baked bread.

Teel, I am so glad that you and Kirsty had some time to talk. I'll bet you both had each other in stitches and tears a few times. Chatting is good for the soul. Don't you fret over the scale monster. Tell you the truth I weighed this morning. Had only a small cup of coffee (I'm trying to cut back) and I even went to the loo and just for grins weighed again. And I had gained a whole pound! Pish posh I said. I'll have none of that. So... please keep to your healthy eating plan, watch the salt, drink your water, get some walks in with Holly and scratch a few donkey noses (great story!) and you'll do fine. I think we all place more emphasis on the scale and not enough counting just doing good on as Mel would say Food Water Exercise

Mel, your stew sounds wonderful. I'll trade you some beef vegetable soup for a bit of stew. Sounds like they are trying to pull you in the thick of things at the complex again - remember to take care of YOU FIRST!

Linus, sorry to hear you're feeling as damp as the weather. I dread the idea of the winter chill coming along. Hope you had a great time with your pajama day yesterday. That's funny that DH encouraged you to talk with people on the telly - does any husband actually recommend that his wife yak on the phone? Not mine I can easily chew up 2 hours without blinking an eye! It has been the reason for many a night that the evening flies by and I don't get anything done!

Shad, I have no advice regarding DS jumper. I have done similar myself - ignored the DRY CLEAN only labels - and sometimes it really means dry clean only. In any regard, trying to get the color bleeding out generally results in faded spots or uneveness. I have rubber banded the sleeves and tried to soak them in a dye/color remover but the fabric soaks up moisture anyway and it just doesn't come out. Sorry to say that DS has probably ruined his jumper. Bet you are counting the days until your contract is out. Goes to show you that you never know what you'll run into next- that's the scariest part about job hunting. Guess at least with contract work you don't have the "marry in haste, repent in leisure" factor as eventually the contract is over. I hope the time passes quickly and that something much better is just around the corner.

Hellos to Nae and her picturesque scenery right outside her door - you get fillies and I just chased away 2 opposums that were munching on the bird seed. Gotta scoot now, bedtime is calling!

A little cheerful pic to start your mornings

Good morning girls! Rainy, humid and coolish all at the same time over here in Joisey as Ruthie calls it! ROFL

Went to the Mall yesterday and had a lot of catching up to do then had dinner with the kids. No posting anywhere last night! Too tired! I bought more Xmas and 2 birthday presents. don't have much more to go. Need something for Jen's BF still. And his birthday is in 2 weeks and I forgot!
Our alarm rush has calmed down and 2 ended up in the hosp. No news from them yet. The poor plumber was here so much he's threatening to move in! sometimes weeks go by with no excitement but then all of a sudden it comes at once and when it's at night and on weeekends some of it is MY job. Saturday is the town picnic and I hope the weather is good! Looking forward to showing off the new chair I better get going or I can feel the bed calling to me! So dark the brain thinks it's night!

Teel~ When I get the addie you will see what's in store! I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Linus~ Dear friend I wish I could send some sun your way but I fear the tail end of Jeanne is here and on it's way to you all AGAIN!! Ours is not ending till about Thursday so dig in and find the meds!! Hope you feel better soon.

Meadow~ What can I say??? Love the graphics and the text! I will read it again later as I scanned it just now! LOL The morning birds were adorable. Are you trying to kill yourself or just exercise!! You keep up with Alyssa and you'll do yourself a mischief as my Gram would say. Nice exercising though. I have a Richard tape too for wheelchair people and half way through it I almost died!! I thought to myself....WTF! YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING! But he wasn't and it still sits on my shelf! LOLOL

Happy Girl~ Great news and hope it's a decent and honorable offer. No funny business involved. It would be so nice to see you and the DH in a more settled state of mind. fingers are crossed and hugs to see you through the "thinking" bits!!

Shad~ Where for art thou Friend of the Southern Hemisphere?!? I saw books on Australia in Border Books and thought of you........and a few others now that I think of it! Australia is going to be in the lead of the journals! It may be a tie with Canada! Hope you are well and HAPPY!! Wish the job was better and more permanent too! Hugs to you also!

Nae~ Thanks for the support. Things get muddled and I run out of time and steam from time to time! LOL Hope you and the doggie and deer are doing well! We have red-tailed hawks staying on our palisades.(short cliffs to the Hudson River between NYC and NJ) We watched him soaring around in the currents and then land somewhere below us on the rock face. They seem to like nesting there. Geese are all over the highways on the grassy parts. Guess they are getting ready to move south. with all this building these poor animals are getting squeezed out of their homes. Preditor birds live in the tops of bldgs in New York for lack of places in the wild. Adaptable creatures they are. But it saddens me all the same. Send Woody to us and he can peck away at the bricks!!!!

Gotta get a move on and write in my journal. No weight or inches lost this past week! But none gained either. A very good sign considdering I have not been a dedicated SBDieter for a few days.
See ya later and have a great day!

Dear Group~ I have invited Marie from another websit to join us. I am sending her the addie and hope she comes. We are the only 2 left of a group that seems to have disbanded. Still struggling with our plan, we stuck together and have been reading motivational books together too. See you all later on!

MEL hello especially to you as I can see your egg has some life in it right at this very moment!! Not very often that we are online at the very same time so I am very late with my posting today so that is probably why we are in the computer at the same time

I have had a very ldle day today and a very bad eating day as well! But I REALLY fancied chocolate in the form of a SNOWFLAKE ( a flake but with white chocolate inside And a small bag of white Maltesers! All this after lunch in the supermarket when all I can say in defence is that I didn't eat ALL the chips!!! And I came home and went to sleep! I think tea tonight will be a chicken sandwich!

Meadow.. at your list of non physical excercises!! I particularly like the quote ar the end of the glasbergen cartoon. Well done to you for putting a smile on my face and I am sure on many faces!
I had my flu jab today...but Thursday is coming round the corner too soon for my liking..ah well the sooner it gets here the sooner it has gone away again!
See you all tomorrow I 'spect. T.T.T.T.